Dinamo winger Iker Almena received a straight red card during the match against Rudeš, with referee Ante Čulina showing him the card in the 72nd minute. Almena struck Rudeš full-back Felipe Curcio with an elbow during a challenge.
The incident occurred just five minutes after Almena came on as a substitute for Dani Rodríguez, who had been forced to leave the pitch due to injury. At that point, Dinamo were chasing a deficit after Rudeš took the lead through a goal by Junior Fernandes in the 30th minute.
Due to the red card, Almena has been handed a two-match suspension, and the possibility of an additional club sanction is not ruled out. Dinamo coach Mario Kovačević spoke about Almena's conduct after the match.
"We have sanctions. It is known how a Dinamo player should behave, regardless of how difficult it is. One must know how to behave in front of everyone. Punishment is the last option, but sometimes it is necessary because things happen that should not happen," Kovačević said.
Almena joined Dinamo on loan from Saudi Arabia's Al Qadsiah. In the Maksimir club's shirt, he has made 11 appearances and scored one goal, which came in the Cup against second-tier side Vukovar. Before arriving at Maksimir, he wore the shirt of Hajduk, also as a loan player, but Hajduk ultimately did not buy him.
After moving to Dinamo, he found himself under fire from a section of Hajduk fans, and was greeted with whistles at Poljud during Dinamo's away visit.
